


Chaos

by celizamur



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Action & Romance, F/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 08:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celizamur/pseuds/celizamur
Summary: Mac had a flaw. The golden boy had a hero complex. The problem was, it was a complete reflex.And to combat that protective reflex, they needed to find Jack's replacement.And well, until then... Riley and Bozer would just have to fill in for the job.





	Chaos

 

**The Important Days Before**

 

“We’ll do rock, paper scissors,”

“You’re joking,”

“It’s the only way. Fair and square,” Riley informed Boxer, holding her fist out towards him, his face was pulled into contorted puzzlement.

Bozer’s eyes flicked towards the tablet in Riley’s left hand, which showed live video of the thugs entering the building. Bozer hummed, his face pulled in disgust as he thought through the plan, “c’mon this is dumb, it’s my turn to distract the bad guys,”

“Any time today,” her sing-song voice was laced with a warning, the video showing one of the gun smugglers taking the corridor which lead directly to their room. Mac was scrambling for parts, needing to create a large magnet for… something no one could understand why.

“Will someone find me something I can use for glue? Try looking around by the windows, sometimes there’s putty there,” Mac called, his hands wrapping two wires together while his eyes were scanning the floor, his mind always jumping ten steps ahead. Riley could never figure out how he did it. His brain finding connections in a millisecond, whereas some people would struggle to see a similarity in an hour.

“Okay fine,” Bozer sighed, holding out his fist to match Riley’s as they decided who would take on the smugglers while the other stayed to protect Mac.

Of course, Mac had been completely oblivious to all this, believing they all needed equal protection. But Riley and Bozer knew; Mac was the genius here, he was the asset.

Until Jack’s replacement had been found, they had to step up and protect him.

This unfortunately meant, one of them had to handle the bad guys with the big guns. And the other, had to stay to protect Mac and help _make_ whatever device he was conjuring up in his mind.

Riley showed rock.

Bozer chose paper.

“My turn. Remember the plan, if we split we’ll meet at the church with the funny smelling incense. Code word; Einstein-” she instructed before Bozer gave her that familiar look of, _stop worrying, we’ll be fine._

Riley nodded, tried to begin planning in her mind straight away. She snuck out of the room, hoping Mac hadn’t seen her, he was beginning to pick up on Riley and Bozer’s more _extreme_ (but necessary) tactics.

Using the blue prints and security camera, angles on her tablet, she walked through one of the corridors, allowing enough distance to keep them from finding Mac, but close enough that she could get to them in case they were in trouble.

Keeping close to the corner, she stayed low and took the dart gun out of her bag. The lab technicians had supplied her with a sedative gun that had an automatic targeting system. Both easy to use, silent, and keep any threats long enough for her team to scatter.

Hacking into the security cameras, she turned the one facing slightly to the left and on loop, ensuring she was out of frame.

One guy approached with confidence, his head stuck in the air and his gun loose in is hand. He didn’t see the shot coming. Landing against the floor with a thud, Riley dragged him out of the open corridor and pushed him into the corner out of view.

She took down two more guys before Mac noticed she had disappeared.

“Riles? Is everything okay?” She heard Mac ask her over the coms, checking her tablet for any oncoming people before replying.

“Yup, you done disarming that bomb?” She asked him, taking one of the unconscious men under the arms and pulling him out of the way.

“Like I was telling Bozer; not a bomb. If they turn this on, it will send an electrical signal which could wipe out…” Mac explained, but Riley didn’t hear the end of the sentence.

The blow to the back of her head caused her to fall to the floor with such an impact, it knocked her coms out of her ear.

The hand grabbed her roughly by the shoulder, hauling her upright to face him. Growling threateningly, he reared his right arm back, a clear indication of an oncoming attack. Riley noted the broken nose, grey eyes and scar on his top lip all within milliseconds before taking the nifty dart gun out of her pocket and firing it.

The man was so large, the effect didn’t take hold straight away.

Unfortunately, this meant the man had enough energy to land a heavy blow to Riley’s delicate jaw.

He hit the floor as soon as he landed the punch. Riley also felt the need to lie down for a moment. Her face stayed blissfully numb for a second before an onslaught of throbbing needles took hold of the feeling of her jaw.  

Scanning the floor for her coms and found nothing, therefore she checked the feed on her tablet.

No sign of both Mac or Bozer.

Zooming in on the small cube in the center of the room which was once a perfectly manufactured device, constructed with the plan to topple the electrical grid for cities across America; was replaced by an alarm clock with a little firework placed on top.

Going on instinct and the burning candle, she grabbed her bag and took off towards the church.

 

…

 

Mac was furious. Riley could easily tell from a distance.

He was pacing, back and forth in front of the steps up towards the church. Tense shoulders and shaking his head. Bozer’s hands were flailing in front of him, clearly trying to explain something.

Riley stood across the road with her bag slung over one shoulder, observing them for a moment. Mac ran a tired hand over his face, and Riley couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt for his worry. Bozer was the first to notice her, showing visible relief by a drop of his shoulders and a small wave.

Crossing the road to get over to them, Bozer’s eyes widen as his gaze locked in on the obvious mark along her jaw.

“Don’t worry, I still have all my teeth,” Riley greeted them cheekily, attempting to inject some humor in the situation. Bozer sent her a smile and a shake of his head, “I think I packed a first aid kit,” he said, before heading into the van.

Mac didn’t take the joke as well. Taking a few steps away from her, he faced the church and took a deep breath.

Riley felt her resolve break, “c’mon Mac, someone had to keep the bad guys at bay. It gave you enough time to disarm that thing so we could bring it back to the lab to examine it.” She felt the pain in her jaw multiply as tiredness began to set in.

Mac ran his hand through his hair, and Riley watched as the anger built up and bunched into a tight knot. “We could’ve figured something out together,” he finally said.

“There’s wasn’t time-” Riley began, but Mac quickly interrupted.

“-Don’t give me that,” he whirled around in the spot, his eyes flashing with a steady anger, “we work together. We stay together and protect each other. Don’t think I haven’t noticed both of you taking _stupid_ risks. Last week, Bozer almost got shot trying to take down two guys twice his size. Today, we had to leave you behind. And now…” He stopped suddenly, pointing to the growing bruise on her jawline. Shaking his head, as if he couldn’t bear to look at it for another moment.

Riley sighed as she stared up at him, “I knew to meet you at the church,” but knowing she couldn’t agree with him. And she definitely wasn’t going to lie to him, “it’s just… until we get a replacement, myself and Boze have to… divide and conquer,” Riley told him softly, acknowledging their risky moves but also telling him they weren’t going to change.

Mac opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the frightening noise of gun fire.

Riley’s brain slowed down.

The noise of the bullet causing her heart to leap into her throat. In a flurry of movement, Mac reached for her and in one swift movement, he was enveloped around her as they crouched low for safety.

Mac had effectively surrounded her, attempting to shield her from the growing danger. Moving towards the side of the van, the sound of bullets embedding themselves deep into the metal of the driver’s door. Riley could vaguely hear Bozer yelling, “ _We need to GO,”_ but her brain’s neurons had slowed to a snail’s pace as Mac’s arms wrapped around her tightly. Shielded by the van, Mac came to a halt. A second, felt like an hour, as Mac released Riley slightly, catching her face in his hands as he checked her quickly for any consequences of the flying bullets.

His heartbeat was erratic at the thought of losing Riley again. Skin tingling and mouth dry, he didn’t think he could let her go. Deep brown eyes stared into his, and suddenly he was assaulted with everything beautiful about Riley Davis.

Everything beautiful, that could’ve been gone within seconds.

Taking a deep breath, he reached for the handle of the van, pulled in back, and hauled them both to safety.

Something clicked in the back of his mind as Bozer’s took the sharp left turn, Riley ended up wedged beside Mac. Her small frame pressed against Mac’s longer torso, and she didn’t make any attempt to move away.

As Bozer lost the guys following them, he finally calmed his driving pace by taking the country land back roads.

As suddenly as it all started, the atmosphere had changed instantly. Fear forgotten an life back to normal. That’s how Mac’s world had become a roller coaster of instant danger to a relaxation remedy. Humming along to Aretha Franklin, Bozer tapped the steering wheel in time to the beat. Riley’s eyes had now closed and her head had dropped to lean against Mac’s shoulder. Staring down at her fluttering eyelids, Mac’s heart gave a painful twinge.

As his eyes drifting between the two most important people in his life, Mac knew; he couldn’t let them take risks to protect his life alone. He wouldn’t let them.

 

 

**The Morning Before Chaos Began**

 

“Okay what about this guy? Two tours in Iraq, he received a medal for bravery _and_ has been working as a body guard for three years now,”

Riley and Bozer shared a look as the poor intern announced another suggestion for Jack’s replacement. Matty was flipping through a file containing all the potential candidates, not even trying to hold back her sighs and noises of distaste.

“I’ll take this one,” Riley told Bozer, who was sending the intern another shrug as she collapsed into the sofa beside the bundles of applications.

“Let me guess,” Lola interrupted, holding her hand up before Riley could begin her explanation, “this guy hasn’t shown any interest in science? This solider doesn’t show signs of taking direction well? What is it this time? Does he have trust issues I haven’t considered? Does he not enjoy country music?” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defeat.

Riley tried not to feel bad for her, but they were basically putting her through hell. It’s been three weeks of trolling through potential prospects and they haven’t whittled it down even slightly, especially when Riley and Bozer keep shutting down every candidate.

But Riley knew, _this_ reason was nonnegotiable.

“He has a wife, and three kids,” Bozer piped up, shutting the folder and handing it gently back to Lola, who appeared as if she was about to slap one of them.

“He’s not the person to protect Mac because… Mac isn’t his highest priority,” Riley told her.

Lola ran a tired hand through her red hair, “maybe if you just met him-”

“-What then? Then we hire him and get to know him, maybe we even meet the family. Few weeks later; we’re out on a mission, and when we’re in a life or death situation, Mac won’t be able to get the images of this guy’s kids out of his head. Next thing we know, Mac’s self-sacrificing trait comes out to play. Maybe that won’t happen the first time, but I know I’m not to give it a chance of happening at all,” Riley finished, her chin held with a stubborn tilt, which told Bozer there would be no changing her mind.

The room remained quiet for a moment as everyone took in Riley’s words. Matty was trying to wipe the smile off her face as she took in the scene. Bozer looked proud and Riley appeared ready to take over the world. While poor Lola, she just looked exhausted.

Matty clapped her hands, “okay that concludes the search for today. Will someone go find Blondie, we have a case.”

 

**Chaos**

“Can someone please tell me how my agents didn’t receive all the available intel?” Matty calmly said into the phone that was connected to the CIA director. Her four screens kept flickering in and out of connection, one moment she watched her three best agents attempt to feels a C4 rigged building while trying to outrun trained assassins, the next moment it was be a jumble of grey fuzz.

“Mac, update,” she ordered for the third time, but receive only silence and a mumble from static.

Lola typed furiously on her laptop, trying to hold the connection and clear the interference, but it was futile; they had been set up. No one had expected this recon mission to blow up quite like it had. No one had known the terrorist knew, Mac, Riley and Bozer would arrive at the building. No one had realized, it was all a just a simple trap.

“We need to have a rescue team in place. Initiate ‘The Entropy’ program,” Matty ordered.

Matty had sent them on a suicide mission, and there was nothing she could do; but simply watch it all unfold.

 

 

**The Important Nights Before Chaos**

 

“Hey, so this is embarrassing. I know you’re not home but I said I’d leave a quick message on your answering machine. Side note; who still has an answering machine? Anyway, I’ll be staying at my mom’s tonight. My car ran out of gas and-” Riley explained to Mac and Bozer’s outdated answering machine.

“-come again?” Bozer answered, they had clearly just arrived home, she could hear Mac talking in the background and Bozer hushing him so he could hear her story. The two of them had gone to a baseball game, then gone to get drinks with an old-school buddy. They had invited Riley but she didn’t want to intrude on their mini high-school reunion.

 Also, having the day off, Riley had set out to visit her mother’s house, who was on vacation for the next couple of days with her new boyfriend. Dinah had given her daughter the job of watering the plants and making sure the house was okay etc.

Riley had packed plant feeder, a watering can, which she bought in target on her journey, and a mop to clean up any mess next door’s cat had inevitably left on the doorstep.

What Riley hadn’t prepared for was her car running out of gas on the way home, and of course she had landed on a practically abandoned road with the next gas station an hour’s walk away.

“You’re not supposed to pick up the phone,” Riley told them, cursing herself for worrying them in the first place.

“Yeah well, we got home early. What happened?” Mac chimed in, cutting straight to the chase.

Riley hummed, trying to mask her sudden shiver, she had to turn off the heat to conserve the battery of her car, “no big deal, just ran out of gas,” she told them nonchalantly.

“And how close to your mom’s house?” Bozer asked her.

“Yeah not too far,” she stated, staring into the inky darkness, “I’ll start walking now and be there soon.” Looking out at the rain and dark sky, she really didn’t want to walk, but she couldn’t stay in her car all night. Although she didn’t want to abandon the hunk of rust either.

She could hear steps walking away from the phone and murmuring, and she knew what they were up to. “Okay _no_ , stop right there. Don’t come get me,” Riley warned them through the phone.

“Send us your coordinates,” Mac told her over the phone, ignoring her warning as he began getting ready to leave the house again. Bozer began to put his jacket back on and grabbed his keys.

“See you soon Riles,” Bozer said goodbye and turned the phone off before she could reply.

“She’s going to kill you for that,” Mac told him as they left the house once more.

**The Morning Before Chaos Began**

Riley marched out of the war room with the intention to find Mac for the mission, and all Matty could do was smile.

“Will anyone be good enough?” Lola mumbled, throwing files back into a box, all containing information concerning Mac’s new potential body guard, “all these people are more than capable for the job. What’s the problem?”

Matty brought her coffee mug to her lips to hid her grin, “that’s not what she’s afraid of,” she responded, but ignored Lola’s inquisitive gaze.

 

 

**The Important Nights Before Chaos Began**

 

Riley’s eye’s blinked open to a bright light growing larger as it came closer to the car. Her phone had run out of battery, and she was wrapped up in her jacket trying to shield herself from the cold. She had somehow fallen asleep, and was disoriented for a moment as she tried to figure out where she was.

A sudden knock on the window had caused her to jump out of her skin. The shadow outside her window moved away but the voice calling her, calmed her instantly.

Riley moved out of the car within moments, holding the thin jacket above her head as the rain poured down around them. The navy sky had opened up, allowing thick streams of water to race to the graveled floor, saturating the thin jacket and rendering it useless.

But Riley didn’t care, she couldn’t help with warm buzz in her stomach at the sight of Mac standing in front of her.

Shining in the darkness, his electric blue eyes poured in Riley’s appearance. The water caused his clothes to plaster against his skin and his blonde hair to stick to his face. “We need to stop meeting like this,” Mac shouted through the thundering downpour, his laughter lacing its way through his words as the pellets of rain bounced off his cheekbones and fell to the ground.

Riley couldn’t help the laughter bubble in her heart and explode as she took in the absurdity of the situation. Turning swiftly, she could make out Bozer’s waving hand, inside his own car, clearly Mac’s mode of transportation.

Turning to face Mac once more, she let her hands fall to her sides and the rain to saturate her to her bones, “you’re such a dork,” she shouted back, unable to hide the happiness in her voice.

“A dork who saves the day,” Mac replied, pouring the last few drops of petrol in her car.

Riley smiled once more, her cheeks aching more than the cold that wrapped around her bones, “and the damsel in distress thanks you,” she jokingly replied. It sounded a lot more self-deprecating than she meant it to, which Mac quickly followed up on.

Closing the cap of the bottle, he sent a wave towards Bozer. Riley could hear the sound of a car turning around and driving away, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Mac who took a step towards her and gave her his entire attention. Blinking past the water that rain down his face said he “you’ve never been much of a damsel Riles.”

The noise of the rain dulled around them, and Riley could perfectly hear the huskiness within every word he spoke.

“How’s the jaw?” Mac asked her, pointing to the faint yellow-ish tinge that lined her jaw.

Riley couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows and smirk, silently commenting on the _damsel in distress_ situation. Mac caught on quickly, sending her a huff of laughter and a soft mumble, “not the same thing.”

Riley gulped past the creeping feelings of emotion that tingled from the tips of her toes to the back of her neck. She hadn’t felt this in a while, and it was happening more and more with Mac. Ever since her and Billy broke it off, she was waiting for the perfect moment to let herself get back out there again.

But she hadn’t expected _this._

And she didn’t know if she wanted it to stop.

“It’s better,” she replied, blinking past the water droplets the clung to her eyelashes. Mac’s eyes tracked a droplet of water that crawled along the bridge of her noise, before falling and landing on her bottom lip. And Riley’s breathe drew to an abrupt halt, the magnetism between them turning off any normal brain function.

The intensity of Mac’s attractiveness hit her all at once, and she didn’t think she’d ever be able to look at him the same way again. Objectively, she knew he was an attractive man, with his broad smile, dimples, sharp jawline and broad shoulders. But they were _friends._ Just friends.

Until Mac took a step closer, she didn’t think she’d ever start breathing again. They were wrapped in their own world, surrounded by electric energy and possibilities, and the feeling of his hand grazing the length of her arm was stronger than the rain against her skin.

_Beeep,_ the blasting horn of a car causing both Mac and Riley to spring apart.

Riley’s heart was jumping within her chest as she stared at the bright light of the stopped car. The window of the car rolled down, and Riley watched as Mac walked over to assure the driver they weren’t stranded on the side of the road.

Mac bent over to talk, and although she couldn’t hear anything, Riley could see the woman’s face highlighted by interior light of the car. She watched her smile and relax at whatever Mac had told her, because he had that affect.

He could calm a storm by simply glancing its way.

The rain began to soften above them as the driver sent Mac another smile before rolling up her window and driving away.

By the time he turned around again, the rain had stopped completely. Riley felt her hand reach for the handle of the car before she even realized what she was doing.

“Home?” Mac asked her, knowing what she was feeling.

_Too much, all at once_ , his mother’s voice creeped into her mind. She had once told him, he rushed into things, his mind would race ahead while everyone else was staring at the dust he left behind. She told him, the important things, need to take time.

Watching Riley stand under the moonlight. Saturated from the rain, with her dark hair stuck to her face, and her brown eyes, wide, as she stared over at him.

He wanted to rush, to quicken his steps and wrap her in his arms. Important things may take time. But he didn’t want to waste it simply staring at her.

He could rush a little.

 

 

**Chaos**

Bozer’s voice cracked with pain as he pressed Riley’s jacket against the growing wound on Mac’s stomach, “come on buddy, open your eyes.”

With blurred vision, she dropped her phone to the ground with a clatter, rushing to Mac’s side. His blonde hair was dull, his skin pale and his chest had gone still.

_Not like this,_ her mind yelled on repeat.

_Please, not like this._

 

 

**The Morning Before Chaos Began**

 

“It’s too easy,” Mac told Riley as soon as she walked out onto the roof. Mac’s back was faced towards her as he looked out onto the city below them. The autumn sun was high in the air, allowing the baby blue sky to seem crisp with the cold breeze that wafted along its path.

Riley approached him slowly, an anxiety bubble growing in her stomach as she took careful steps towards him. She tried to stamp down the stray feelings that were causing her to lose focus, but the whole scenario was still raw.

Less than 12 hours ago, he was standing beneath the rain, staring at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before.

Ridiculously, she thought she could forget it. Oh, how wrong she was.

“Their location would never be so easy to find,” Mac continued, his tone puzzled as he tried to figure out the bigger picture. They had received intel of the base location of an organization of assassins they had been tracking for a couple of months now. It had been founded by Murdoc and his wife, but they seemed to leave their leadership role in the past week, resulting in the number of innocent deaths spiking. They weapon of choice is a chemical agent shot from a gun, which leaves little to no sign of an entry wound, but kills the person within seconds.

Matty had pressure put on her to find the group as they had recent dealings with Murdoc. Two hours ago, they had received an anonymous tip stating they were hiding in the basement of pharmaceutical plant.

“Could’ve been Murdoc,” Riley supplied, taking another step towards him. They needed to be wheels up in twenty, Matty wanted them to scope the building but not to intervene without back up.

Mac turned, his face scrunched slightly with his perplexed feelings. Twisting a paper clip between his fingers, he leaned against the railing of the roof, his mind was completely absorbed in thought as he spoke, “something’s…” voice trailing, while his eyes fell to the metal in his hands.

“Off,” Riley finished, her breath hitching when his eyes locked with hers.

 Mac nodded, his stare never leaving hers. Pushing himself away from the railing, he took easy steps towards her, his eyes scanning every inch of her face.

“Matty wants us to get going,” she informed him, her voice strong but her legs felt weak.

Mac seemed completely unfazed by the news, simply stared down with those serious blue eyes. Lifting his hand up, he brushed a stray, dark hair away from her face, and wrapped in gently around the curl of her ear.

Riley gulped, as she tried to iron out the logics in her mind. Reminding herself, he was her friend, her partner, her work colleague…

And in this moment, he was her whole world.

The past 12 hours, he’s been the only thing on her mind and she’s not sure how she can stop.

Suddenly, both their phones binged, tearing both Mac and Riley from their bubble and blasting reality in their faces.

Dragging her phone from her back pocket, Riley’s heart beat was almost as distracting as Mac’s proximity.  Reading the text from their stressed boss, “we should-” Riley began, but Mac interrupted her, “-talk about this,” he supplied, the serious look in his eyes remained. The sun behind him had created his entire form to be in shadow, and even in the darkness, his presence was still so inviting.

Riley wanted to run. Flee the scene. But her heart… it kept her in place.

“After this,” Riley offered, pointing to her phone, while her fear of rejection spiking to an all time high.

“After this,” Mac agreed, reminding himself _Important things take time._

 

 

**How Chaos Began**

 

Riley blinked once. Concrete floor and blurry objects. Then her eyes dropped into darkness once more. _Why do her arms ache so much_?

She blinked again, concrete floor, a wooden chair and murmuring voices. Her eyes dropped for another second before she finally gained the ability to keep her eyes open.

For a second, she couldn’t quite understand what she was seeing. Both Mac and Bozer were tied to wooden chairs while she a bit away from them. Her arms screamed in protest, as he eyes dropped to the floor, it was only then she realized that she was dangling in mid-air. Dragging her eyes up and tilting her neck back, she saw her arms died with rope around a rusted pipe.

“… she’s awake, look… hey Riles,” Bozer greeted her, he looked banged up. His nose was bleeding, there was splatters of blood that had dripped onto his shirt and jeans. “Can you talk? Is your vision blurry? Can you hear me?” Bozer rolled out the questions, his voice trembling slightly and Riley wasn’t sure was it a result of the cold or fear.

“Give her a second Boze, she’s in shock,” Mac replied calmly, scanning Riley from head to toe. Mac didn’t have any obvious injuries, and Riley hoped that was the case. He was fidgeting with something behind his back, which gave her an enormous amount of relief. He was making something. He had a plan.

“I don’t remember… what the hell happened,” Riley croakily whispered, stretching her fingers to see if her hands were okay. Her head was pounding and the muscles in her arms were burning, but other than that; she was okay.

“It was a trap,” Bozer admitting, his voice weighing more on shame rather than anger. None of them were completely comfortable with the mission, but they had to take the risk. “Some asshat knocked you on the back of the head and held us at gun point. Next thing, they inject us with something, and then we’re unconscious. We wake up to see you strung up there and no sign of no one,” Bozer explained, some of his words slightly slurred, and Riley figured the sedative was still in his system.

“Mac?” Riley asks him, a question hidden behind his name.

“I’ve a plan,” he assured her, his nature completely cool as he worked blindly. Riley was always amazed at his ability to stay calm under pressure this intense.

The moment was interrupted by a slamming open of the door across the room. Bozer jumped dramatically and tried to pawn it off as a cough, Riley couldn’t help the roll of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she observed the man strutting into the room. Exhaling, she allowed a numbness to control her, pressing her fear into a small ball into her mind. She’ll deal with it later.

Mac stilled his movements as the man approached them, his back straight as he took measured steps. Completely ignoring both men, he bounced on his heels before halting with abruptness and stood in front of Riley and glared. A short man in stature, his thin lips were curled in a frown and from this angle, Riley had a perfect view of the balding spot, off center from the crown of his head. Holding a baseball bat in his hand, he gracefully lifted it and pushed the head of the bat against her stomach, and pulling away. Her feet swinging slightly from the height off the ground, rocking back and forth for a second.

His mouth ticked upwards, a gleeful snarl taking over his features.

“Never mind, I’m not ready yet,” he murmured softly, reaching into his pocket and taking out two syringes.

Riley tried to shimmy away, but was useless when he injected her and knocked her unconscious.

 

…

 

Over the next few hours, Riley was brought into and out of consciousness. She had seen both day and night.

They were all vexed, worried and exhausted.

“Why keep us alive?” Mac asked him loudly, his voice booming across the room, his confidence seeping into the air molecules surrounding him. Riley hoped it would surround her.

The short man had entered the room once more but ignored Mac, and began to slowly pace in front of Riley.

“It’s interesting,” he began, and Riley had to hold back a sigh as she knew this monologue would be long, “people have a primary need to protect other people. Those who are strong, like to protect those who are _weak_. Many men, feel the need to protect their women. It’s probably one of the main reason’s men and women aren’t equal in societies eyes. Men often see women as weak. But I don’t see this.”

He began to swirl the bat around like a baton, and Riley could feel her pulse jump. _This isn’t going to be good._

“I believe we’re all equal,” he yelled, at the top of his lungs. A maniac smile crossing his face. Riley tried to hold the crazy man’s eye contact, knowing Mac was beginning to work harder at the plan he had in is mind.

“But the best way to get information, is to agree with the human’s around us.” And with that statement, the man reared back the baseball bat and landed it squarely into Riley’s stomach.

The wind was instantly knocked out of her, for a moment, all she saw was stars. The man had was no longer facing Riley, he was sickly watching Mac and Bozer’s reactions.

Bozer’s leg was bouncing with angst and Mac looked completely murderous.

“The information I want, is very simple,” he told them, swinging the bat in a large circle before landing it once again against Riley’s ribs. A whimper of pain left Riley’s mouth, and the man’s smile grew.

“Where’s Murdoc?” he asked them. Riley felt the exhaustion and pain begin to eat away at her mind. But now that they knew what this mad man was looking for, their only problem now was to escape.

Mac caught Riley’s stare and held it, not wanting her to look away, hoping she knew he had a plan.

“That’s all you want?” Bozer asked him, twitching his feet and point towards the window slightly. Clue one.

“That’s all I ask,” the man replied, as he began to swing his arm once more.

Mac knew what was about to happen, and he didn’t think he could watch another second, “wait, hold on,” he yelled, catching the crazy man’s attention. Mac took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “I’ll tell you where Murdoc is hiding.”

“Fantastic,” He told Mac, before tilting his head slightly. He took a step towards Mac and swung the bat backwards, before sending a blow across his face. The crack of Mac’s jaw against the wooden bat made Riley nauseous.

She hadn’t realized she sent a yell before the man turned around and face Riley with smile. Riley saw red.

Without thinking, she swung backwards to gather momentum, and kicked the evil man, catching him across the cheek bone.

The moment after was silent, and the man smiled once more. Reaching into his pocket, he took out another syringe and stabbed Riley in the leg, “I’ll only give you a little. I want you awake for when I kill your friends.”

“I’ll tell you where Murdoc is,” Mac yelled, before turning his head to the side and spitting out the blood that was gathering in his mouth.

“Go on,”

“Only if you let her down,”

The man looked at Riley for a moment before shrugging, “fine.” Lifting a sharp blade out of his pocket, he didn’t her a glance before flicking his arm up and slicing the rope that held Riley in the air. She collapsed onto the ground in a heap, and once the shock wore off, she noticed her hands were bleeding.

“You’ve shit aim,” Bozer told him, leaning as much forward as the restrains allowed, to look at Riley’s cut hand.

“Only a graze,” she whispered, staying low on the ground to appear as non-threatening as possible. Her mind was spinning from the drug, but she took some deep breathes and tried to calm her racing heart. She scanned the floor for something useful, and… _bingo._

The man took another blade out of his pocket and pointing it towards Riley, “aim does not have to be perfect, to inflict pain m’dear,” he said with a giggle, “continue,” he told Mac.

“He’s staying where a famous scientist once lived. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. Einstein.”

 

 

**The Important Nights Before Chaos Began**

 

“How about someone that had the fighting skills of Jacki Chan, but the personality of that guy in archives that you hate so much?” Mac asked her, running the towel she had given him through his hair. After being completely saturated from the rain, Riley offered him a towel before she dropped him back to the house with Bozer.

Riley hummed for a moment, brushing her damp her with her fingers, “Chan is a pro at jumping over a gate. But Archive Guy? He’s nowhere near ready enough to take out the bad guys.” Their conversation had somehow moved to celebrity hybrids that could be Jack’s replacement.

Mac simply laughed at her response, his eyes gleaming as she grabbed a towel to dry her hair. He shook his head and walked towards the kitchen to get a glass of water.

“What?” Riley inquired laughing, following behind him, “I’m looking for perfection here,” she explained, joy within her voice at the happy atmosphere surrounding them.

Mac didn’t get as far as the tap, halting his steps as something just occurred to him. Swiveling in the stop, Mac caught Riley’s inquisitive gaze and held it. The air was sucked out of the room as they both were frozen in the kitchen.

“I can’t let just anyone into our team,” Riley explained softly, but there was a hidden message within the words.

She wasn’t going to let just anyone into their family.

 

 

**Chaos Began**

 

Einstein meant only one thing. It’s go time.

Mac, Riley and Bozer burst into action.

Riley’s leg swept out, knocking the man to his feet. She grasped wildly for the syringe that she had spotted before and injected the crazed man in the neck.

Both Mac and Bozer threw themselves backwards to shatter the wooden chair and break free. A flurry of movement came from the door at the other end of the room. Mac leapt upwards and put his DIY device to good use.

While Bozer was helping Riley from the floor, they witnessed Mac using a homemade flame thrower.

The most shocking part, Riley wasn’t even a little bit surprise when she saw the flames coming from the device Mac had _blindly_ created.

“Make a move,” Bozer yelled, gesturing towards the window that lead out on a roof of a neighboring building. 

Using the bat, Riley broke the window and jumped.

She landed on sore legs, but the adrenaline raced through her blood ensuring her she would be in pain tomorrow, but feel invincible right now.

And that’s how she felt; completely invincible.

Until Bozer yelled. 

And Mac jumped awkwardly out of the window, holding his hand to his stomach. The liquid that seeped between Mac’s fingers and caused his shirt to discolor; was terrifying.

 

**…**

 

“Why can’t we bring him to a hospital?” Bozer grunted as he broke another door open.

“Hospital’s corrupt. They’d know we were there in 10 minutes,” Mac groaned as they lowered him to the floor.

Riley ripped off her jacket and forcefully pressed it against Mac’s bleeding wound. Her heart broke as Mac’s groaned loudly.

“Sorry,” she whispered softly, trying to hold back tears as Mac’s pale face tried to contain his pain. Bozer was trying to contact Matty and checking the security cameras Riley had set up.

“No, you’re… doing everything right,” Mac moaned, his teeth grinding as he held in the pain.

“We need to set something, in case they find us,” Riley called over to Bozer, assuming Mac was in too much pain to think.

But of course, he always had a way of surprising her.

“I’ve an idea,” Mac murmured.

“Don’t think, just rest okay,” Riley brushed blonde hair away from his forehead, watching as his eyelids fluttered from her touch.

“It won’t take long to make, I’ll take you through it,” Mac argued, his voice strained as his eyes watered. She nodded in reply, afraid if she said anything it would come out as a cry.

Mac opened and closed his mouth for a moment, as if he was trying to say something but the words wouldn’t come. They got caught in his throat, tangled in his brain, as he stared up at Riley’s eyes, he suddenly forgot how to formulate a sentence.

“Just concentrate on breathing okay?” she told him, trying to ignore the worry wrapping her stomach in knots.

Mac gulped, moaning slightly when Riley pressed harder on the wound, she apologized profusely as she caused him more pain but Mac shook his head, “no you’re doing great,” he murmured.

He reached out suddenly, grabbing her wrist and holding his thumb along the pulse point. Needing something to concentrate on, to hold onto the reassurance that she was okay.

His grip was tight, but not painful, and Riley was happy to see he still had some strength.

“You’re not weak,” Mac told her, his words clear and perfectly pronounced, and for a moment it sounded like he was completely fine.

Riley smiled down at him and shook her head, “neither are you,” she responded, wondering where this was all coming from.

“That asshole said you were weak. You’re the strongest person I know,” Mac’s voice began to drift, as if he was slowly falling asleep.

Riley had to blink back tears, “it’s okay, just keep your eyes open alright? Can you do that for me? How about you tell me how to make that thing? Can you do that for me? Mac?”

“Just wanted you to know,” Mac whispered, his grip down loosening on her wrist, his presence turning into a shadow within seconds.

Riley could feel herself begin to panic, their only way to contact Matty was in shambles, they had assassins searching for them, and Mac… he was dying.

 

 

**The Important Nights Before Chaos Began**

 

“You’re home late,” Bozer called from the kitchen as soon as Mac walked through the door. He was dressed for bed, green tea in one hand and a romance novel in the other. Mac couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, called in to Riley’s for few minutes before she dropped me home,” Mac explained loosely, shrugging off his coat and throwing it on the couch.  

“Hey, before I forget, when me and Leanne move in together, you’ll visit a lot?” Bozer hopefully asked, his tone slightly unsure.

Mac’s eye brows furrowed, “always Boze. What makes you think I won’t?”

Bozer sent him a carefree grin, “just making sure.”

 

 

**Chaos**

 

“I got it,” Riley called, as she gathered the last of the equipment and began assembling the device. “Boze, any luck on getting through to Matty?” she asked, rummaging around the room to ensure she had everything. She continued to check her phone for footage of the small security camera she stuck by the door to allow her to keep an eye on any oncoming trouble, but the assassins had set up an electrical grid to block any calls being made for help.

Bozer was crouched next to Mac, messing with the small device Riley had been tinkering with to contact Matty. Hoping he was making some progress, Riley continued to shout questions at Mac, ensuring he was engaged and not falling asleep. But every second that passed, the closer they got to their greatest fear. Riley couldn’t help but continue to question, how did she let this happen? How is Mac lying injured on a dirty floor of an abandoned?

“Oh my god I got it,” Bozer yelled, the relief seeping into the room.

“Good job buddy,” Mac whispered. Riley looked over at his pale complexion and thanked their lucky stars they finally were in contact with Matty. They had been moved to a different location while they were unconscious, so the chances of Matty finding them without any form of communication was slim to none.  

Riley finished two make shift masks and began heating the liquid with a small matchstick, she had no idea if this would work, but it was worth a shot.

“Can you say the last part one more time?” Riley called, as she mixed the dried powder with the liquid Bozer had found in the corner of the room.

Something catching her attention out of the corner of her eye caused her heart to leap frog into her mouth. Out the window watched as one of the assassins left the building across from them, his head moving left and right as he surveilled the area.

“Big problem, they’re closing in. I’ll drop this downstairs and set it to detonate on timer. How long is Matty’s rescue team?” Receiving no answer, Riley whipped around on the spot, her vision tunneling towards the two figures underneath the window sill.

Her heart dropped at the sight.

“Check his pulse,” Riley whispered, feeling as if she was having an outer body experience.

The tears streaming down Bozer’s face was the answer to her question.

 

**…**

“Dammit”, Riley yelled as she continued to pump against Mac’s chest in attempt to resuscitate him.

She couldn’t feel the wetness against her cheeks. She couldn’t feel the blood on her hands.

Murmuring whispers of encouragement, she was hoping he could hear her somehow, even though his heart had stopped pumping, maybe there was still a part of him that could hear her.

Bozer rushed to his side once more, dropping to his knees as he tried to control his erratic breathing, “I left the device a couple of feet away from the stairs, hopefully the gas goes off and they’re knocked out before they get a chance to come upstairs,” he told her, his voice completely detached. Holding two fingers along Mac’s neck, Bozer searched for a pulse.

Nothing.

And as if the situation couldn’t get any worse, a _bang_ from downstairs indicated the assassins had found them.

“Press the button,” Riley told him tiredly, her body beginning to ache as she continued to perform CPR. Bozer held the television remote that was transformed into a detonator for the gas bomb downstairs. Grasping the two masks, he placed one over Mac’s mouth and around the back of his head, while he held the other one towards Riley.

She shook her head, “you put it on, you’ll be able to carry him out of here. Not me,”

“We don’t know the side effects of this gas,”

“Mac made it. He doesn’t hurt people. I trust him.”

“Riley no,”

“Bozer you can carry him. Not me. Now press that button and put the damn mask on,” Riley instructed, leaving no room for arguing. Stopping for a second, she checked for a pulse.

Everything fell into slow motion. _Breathe,_ her mind warned.

Bozer pressed the button, resulting in a gas began to waft up the stairs. Placing the mask, made out of plastic bottles and cloth, around his mouth he sent a worried look towards Riley. But she didn’t see any of this.

She felt a beat. A pulse.

And then she collapsed.

 

 

**Feels a lot like Chaos**

 

Riley blinked.

White lights. Scratchy sheets. Strong smelling disinfectant. The pulsating sounds of machines beeping.

She was in a hospital.

With a sore gaze, she stared around the room. There was no one with her. She was so confused.

She had a feeling of dread creep up along her stomach, as if she had awoken in the aftermath of a war and there was nothing she could do to help. She had missed it.

Staring down at the IV drop in her arm, she watched the fluid drip into her system. Before she had realized, she had swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and grabbed the portable drip as support and began to walk.

Her whole body felt exhausted, but she needed to know.

She needed to know about Mac.

A guard was stationed outside her room, and he still hadn’t noticed she was standing beside him before she cleared her throat. Startled, he jumped to attention and stared at Riley with wide eyes. “Ma’am you should-”

“-You new?” Riley interrupted him with a croaked voice.

He nodded in reply.

“Great. What room is Angus MacGyver in?” She asked him, her voice level as she stared at him emotionless.

“I can’t give you-”

“-I can make your career turn to mush with two keystrokes. What room is Ma-… Angus MacGyver in?”

“203,”

“Great. Don’t follow me.”

Riley dragged the drip beside her, concentrating on the narrow corridor and ignoring the cold tiles of the floor beneath her bare feet.

She didn’t have to see the room number to know where Mac was. Bozer, Matty and Leanne all stood outside the room, staring in through the window. Motionless.

“What’s going on?” Riley whispered, her voice suddenly weak as she stared at the three worried faces.

Bozer sprung to action, staring at Riley with glassy eyes, “hey, you shouldn’t be up,” he started towards her, sniffling to hide the tears.

“What’s happening with Mac. Is he okay?” Riley asked, her voice beginning to break.

Bozer took a deep breath and shook his head.

Then suddenly he smiled.

“He’s great,” Bozer smiled, tears sliding down his face as he huffed a slight laugh.

“I don’t understand,” Riley murmured as she tried to figure out what emotion Bozer was going through.

“We’re all just… in shook really. He was technically dead, then his heart stopped and started. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster here,” Bozer began to explain, wiped his cheek as some more exhausted tears dribbled down his face, “doc just gave us the all clear. No one can really believe it. We’re just afraid his heart will stop again.”

Riley felt like she was in a dream.

“Can I see him?”

 

 

**The Calm**

The sun’s glow poured down as Riley stood beneath her. The blue sky was clear of clouds and the air felt crisp. Perfect weather.

Riley leaned against the bonnet of the car, tapping her foot in time to a song in her head as she waited. The excitement in her stomach began to jump as she set eyes on any man with blonde hair, outside the doors of the hospital. But it wasn’t the one she wanted to see.

Looking down at the time on her phone to make sure she wasn’t too early, she lifted her eyes up again, only to lock in on the exact person she had been thinking about nonstop.

Mac walked towards her, his broad smile stretching across his face as the dimples in his cheeks deepened. Riley’s heart thumped beneath her chest as Mac began to stride towards her.

His blue eye’s soaked in Riley’s appearance, taking in her shy smirk, leather jacket and the sweet smell of her coconut shampoo. Brushing a dark hair behind her ear, she gazed at Mac beneath her eyelashes, ‘how’s the damsel in distress?” she jokingly inquired, her smirk growing into a smile the closer he came.

Mac’s mind was going a million miles an hour as he stood in front of her. He imagined saying a thousand things, thanking her for saving his life, arguing with her for putting her life in danger or revealing that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her the moment he opened his eyes in the hospital.

But he was completely speechless.

“By the way, we found Jack’s replacement,” Riley told him as she sat on the bonnet of the car, resting her palms against the smooth surface, as Mac made no indication he wanted to drive home yet.

He took another step towards her.

“She seems… intense,” Riley continued with a smile, beginning to wonder why Mac hadn’t said a word.

Mac stood, staring down at her with a soft smile, completely content with listening to her voice. God, he had missed her voice. However, frustration was beginning to build for Riley as she waited for him to speak. Her temper always had a short fuse.

“What? Did they cut off your tongue in surgery?” Riley snapped and jumped slightly off the bonnet of the car, she landed on her feet with a ferocity and a fire within her eyes that caused Mac to suddenly realize what he had _needed_ to say.

Finally, Riley was standing in front of him. This time, they weren’t in imminent danger or no distractions.   

So, he kissed her.

Outside in the hospital parking lot, where the sun was shining and the air still smelled like disinfectant.

Mac made Riley’s entire body feel light, her lips to tingle and gave her the sudden urge to need _more._ Reaching up, she brushed gentle fingers through his hair and pulled slightly when his body was completely aligned with hers.

Eventually breaking apart, Mac traced her jawline with his finger, tracking every inch of her face as he soaked in their close proximity.

“Been wanting to do that for a while,” Mac murmured, his lips brushing against Riley’s once more. Her heart felt like it was in the middle of a marathon, and her brain had been melted to mush.

Raising her hand to his cheek, and told him with a smirk, “don’t wait next time.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed this monster of a one shot. Let me know what you think x


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